U.Va. CHARGE People

The Principal Investigator (PI), holds primary responsibility for oversight of ADVANCE grant management, including organizing the five initiatives and ensuring adherence to the terms of the NSF Cooperative Agreement.

Gertrude is nationally recognized for her leadership on behalf of women and people of color in academia. Gertrude's experience at the University level and beyond has given her the knowledge to understand the dynamics that facilitate change. In addition to leading the U.Va. CHARGE Program, she has been the PI on two empirical research studies at U.Va. that have helped provide the substance and design for several of the U.Va. CHARGE program initiatives.

The Program Director shares responsibility with the PI for oversight of grant implementation and works closely with the Program Manager to define and carry out the program plan.

Having risen through the ranks at U.Va. to her current position as one of the few female scientists holding an endowed chair at U.Va., Pam is a highly accomplished scientist and scholar with extensive experience as a veteran PI. She has led a number of complex programs from a variety of prominent agencies, including several grants from NSF (more about Pam's research here). She has long been a vocal and enthusiastic proponent for the advancement of women in STEM disciplines and a tireless mentor. Pam serves a dual role as both Program Director and Co-PI.

Co-PIs, including Pam Norris, will be responsible for overseeing specific initiatives.

Joanne researches, publishes, and speaks on women’s under-representation in IT and gender segregation in higher education. She will take responsibility for training U.Va.’s equity consultants and working with the facilitated conversation subcontractor to develop a plan for the departmental volunteers in the first initiative, Departmental Diversity and Action Transformation (DDAT) Initiative.

Sophie leads the social science research component, Claiming Spaces for Women in STEM, which will investigate how the physical environment may signal to women, particularly women of color, that they do not belong. This work will also develop and test interventions aimed at boosting women's sense of safety and place in STEM and STEM departments.

Archie’s research in novel optoelectronic devices has resulted in over 100 refereed journal publications. His classroom teaching has been recognized with several honors including membership in the University Academy of Teaching. He was a member of the Steering Committee for U.Va.’s strategic plan—The Cornerstone Plan. In 2014, he was appointed Vice Provost for Educational Innovation & Interdisciplinary Studies. For this program, Archie provides outreach to departments and is the lead for the Tournament of Ideas.

Dinko was highly successful in increasing the number of women in the physics department during his tenure as chair. In 2014, Dinko was promoted to Associate Dean of Graduate Academic Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Mary Lou received the Nico Habermann Award in 2006 for outstanding contributions toward increasing the numbers and successes of underrepresented members in the computing research community. She will provide technical expertise for the search committee portal project, part of Initiative Four: Recruitment, Search and Selection.

Silvia joined the University of Virginia faculty in January of 2006. She obtained her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University and her Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. Before coming to UVa, Dr. Blemker worked at Stanfords National Center for Biomedical Computation, where she was a post-doctoral Research Associate.

Denise's research focuses on the production of gender, ethnicity, and race, the struggle of subordinated groups to exercise political power, and their interaction with the state. Denise’s current book project, Multiculturalism and Women's Rights: Implementing Competing Rights Policies in Liberal Democracies, investigates why legislation addressing minority group rights and women’s rights in Canada, India, and South Africa rarely advance social justice.

Kelsey is an Associate Professor of Astronomy at the University of Virginia, adjunct faculty at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, and the founder and director of the Dark Skies Bright Kids outreach program. She is currently in her sixth year on the International ALMA Science Advisory Committee, for which she is both a former chair and current vice-chair. Her research is focused on star formation throughout the universe, and in particular the impact of different physical environments. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in 2001.

Petra's research interests are in the area of carbon, semiconductor and metal nanostructures which are investigated using surface science methods, such as scanning probe microscopy (STM and AFM) and photoelectron spectroscopy. She joined the CHARGE team in the fall of 2014. She will be focusing on the promotion and tenure features of the SEAS Contribution.

The Program Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the U.Va. CHARGE activities, ensuring that the short and long term objectives and goals of the U.Va. CHARGE transformation project are developed and implemented.

Kelly Feltault, PhD
Program Manager, U.Va. CHARGE Program

For the last 20 years, Kelly has designed and implemented programs and program evaluations for international development organizations, including non-profits and the federal government. Her work has focused exclusively on gender in the areas of education, economic development, agriculture and the environment, and sexual violence. Before coming to U.Va., Kelly was a Senior Program Evaluator at the US Peace Corps where she designed and led the agency’s impact evaluations in 23 countries; trained staff in program management, strategic planning, and evaluation; and was part of a core team designing and implementing a sexual assault prevention and response program legislated by Congress. Kelly holds a doctorate in Anthropology and International Development. Her dissertation focused on the social construction of global food safety standards and the resulting production of nature and people through microbiology in global seafood value chains.

U.Va. CHARGE Ambassadors

Ambassadors support U.Va. CHARGE with implementing activities to reach program goals and help promote U.Va. CHARGE among faculty.

Jennifer recently started her research lab at U.Va. in 2013. Her scientific training consisted of a B.S. in microbiology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. in biological chemistry from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute. Her postdoctoral work studying drug resistance in the malaria parasite led to her current investigations into the mechanisms of resistance initiation and metabolic adaptation of this deadly parasite. As a new member of the U.Va. community and a mentor to women and underrepresented members in the sciences, Jennifer is eager to help facilitate the advancement of women by implementing the goals of U.Va. CHARGE.

Program Staff

Dawn Hunt
Associate for Special Projects

Prior to coming to U.Va. CHARGE, Dawn worked with lead PI Gertrude Fraser for eight years as a program manager and writer, playing a pivotal role in the ADVANCE proposal process. The coauthor (with Dr. Fraser) of U.Va.’s nationally recognized online faculty search committee tutorial, Dawn does CHARGE-related writing and editing, provides web content and logistical support for events, and works on other aspects of the CHARGE program as needed.

Wende HopeWeb & Communications

Wende comes to the U.Va. CHARGE program with over 15 years of experience in the internet technology and Web communication fields to include Web site design, Web application design and development, Web content production and data warehouse management. She currently supports several research grants and the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at U.Va. The expertise she brings to U.Va. CHARGE includes strategic communication, Web and print graphic design, content management, copy editing and social media management.

Christina Pappas
Tournament of Ideas Coordinator

Christina is a PhD student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at U.Va. where her research interests include thermal management and novel applications of heat pipes. In 2010 she received a Department of Defense NDSEG Fellowship in support of her research. She graduated from Sweet Briar College, a liberal arts women’s college located in central Virginia, in 2008 and continues to remain active in outreach and other activities at her alma mater, including serving on the Engineering Advisory Board as the first alumna of the now ABET-accredited Margaret Jones Wyllie ’45 Engineering Program. Christina is working with Archie Holmes, the director of Initiative 3, the Tournament of Ideas, as the project manager.

Evaluation

Evaluation U.Va. ADVANCE has ambitious aims and is committed to rigorous assessment of progress toward those aims, as required by NSF. To that end the grant provides for both internal and external evaluation. Evaluators will utilize quantitative and qualitative methods, and assessment activities will be tailored to the primary goals of the respective initiatives.

Internal Evaluators

Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (CASTL-HE) at the Curry School of Education

Karen has significant assessment experience and does research on group dynamics and team building.

Deborah Barry
Postdoctoral Fellow

Deborah completed her Ph.D. in Science Education from Syracuse University. Her research focuses on how various aspects of doctoral training influence career outcomes for individuals in STEM fields. Deborah also holds a master’s degree in Biology and has significant experience working in higher education. Deborah will assist Dr. Inkelas with internal evaluation particularly with institutional data collection, analysis and dissemination.

External Evaluators

Emorcia V. Hill

A highly experienced researcher and evaluator, Emorcia obtained her PhD in Sociology from Boston College. Her evaluation portfolio includes federal, state and foundation funded multi-year research and evaluation contracts in higher education and academic medicine, with a focus on issues of gender and race/ethnicity, social networks, diversity and inclusion, organizational context, system change and institutional transformation. Her clients include several NSF ADVANCE institutions, Harvard Medical School, National Institutes of Health, and the Office for Minority Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She is also the National Director of the National Institute on Teaching and Mentoring. Emorcia is the newest member of our team.

External Consultants

Jeff Galbraith, Ph.D., is the developer of the Nimble Journeys process—the basis for the "structured dialogues" of Goal 1.

Internal Advisory Board

The Internal Advisory Board (IAB) will meet quarterly with the Implementation Team to oversee project implementation, resolve project issues, and ensure that the project is on track for meeting its goals. Our IAB is populated with highly accomplished faculty members and administrators from across the university, with expertise and experience in diverse fields related to the grant.

Kerry Abrams, Vice Provost for Faculty AffairsMartin Davidson, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Darden Business SchoolRoseanne Ford, Cavaliers' Distinguished Teaching Professor and Chair, Chemical EngineeringCassandra Fraser, Professor of Chemistry, Arts & SciencesHossein Haj-Hariri, Professor and Chair, Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringJohn Hawley, Associate Dean for the Sciences and Professor of Astronomy, Arts & SciencesMarcus Martin, Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity Leonard Schoppa, Associate Dean for the Social Sciences and Professor of PoliticsGeorge Stovall, Director of Institutional Assessment and Studies Robert Tai, Associate Professor, Robert H. Tai Research Group (STEM Education), Curry School of Education Carolyn Vallas, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Director of the Center for
Diversity in Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science

External Advisory Board

The External Advisory Board (EAB), which will meet annually in Charlottesville to advise the institutional transformation team on the implementation of the project and progress toward project goals. Our EAB members have significant combined expertise on women in STEM disciplines, with a focus on women of color, and on processes of change and transformation in higher education. The External Advisory Board role is distinct from the external evaluation of the project.

Gilda Barabino, Dean, Grove School of Engineering, City Colleges of New York (CCNY)Cynthia Burack, Professor, Woman’s Studies, Ohio State
Christopher Comer, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Professor of Biology and Neuroscience, University of Montana Joe Garofalo, Chair, Faculty Recruitment, Retention, Retirement& Welfare Committee, Faculty Senate (Ex Officio)Angela Ginorio, Associate Professor, Woman’s Studies, University of Washington
Christine Grant, Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Special Initiatives, College of Engineering and Professor, Chemical Engineering, North Carolina StateAdrianna Kezar, Professor of Higher Education, Co-Director, Pullias Center for Higher Education, University of Southern CaliforniaSamuel B. Mukasa, Dean, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS), Professor of Geology, University of New Hampshire William E. Walden, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago.

This is an ambitious effort that will require the assistance of many! If you are interested in getting involved, we welcome your participation. Please send an email to the team at uvacharge@virginia.edu. Feedback and suggestions are also welcome.